British Airways Flight 38

British Airways Flight 38
The aircraft after crash landing at Heathrow Airport
Accident
Date17 January 2008 (2008-01-17)
SummaryCrashed short of runway due to fuel starvation caused by ice in the fuel/oil heat exchangers
Site
Aircraft

G-YMMM, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 2007
Aircraft typeBoeing 777-236ER
OperatorBritish Airways
IATA flight No.BA38
ICAO flight No.BAW38
Call signSPEEDBIRD 38
RegistrationG-YMMM
Flight originBeijing Capital International Airport, Beijing, China
DestinationHeathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom
Occupants152
Passengers136
Crew16
Fatalities0
Injuries47
Survivors152

British Airways Flight 38 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, to Heathrow Airport in London, United Kingdom, an 8,100-kilometre (4,400 nmi; 5,000 mi) trip. On 17 January 2008, the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft crash-landed short of runway 27L at Heathrow. Of the 152 people on board, 47 were injured, 1 of them seriously. The aircraft (registered as G-YMMM) sustained heavy damage and was written off as a result, becoming the first hull loss of a Boeing 777.

The accident was investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and their final report was issued in February 2010. Ice crystals in the jet fuel were blamed as the cause of the accident, clogging the fuel/oil heat exchanger (FOHE) of each engine. This restricted fuel flow to the engines when thrust was demanded during the final approach to Heathrow. The AAIB identified this rare problem as specific to Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engine FOHEs. Rolls-Royce developed a modification to the FOHE; the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandated all affected aircraft to be fitted with the modification before 1 January 2011. The US Federal Aviation Administration noted a similar incident occurring on an Airbus A330 fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and ordered an airworthiness directive to be issued, mandating the redesign of the FOHE in Rolls-Royce Trent 500, 700, and 800 engines.